It is known to restrict cell phone usage for a driver in a vehicle. An example of such an implementation is disclosed in co-pending International Application No. PCT/US2010/034030 (“the '030 publication”) to Miller et al., filed on May 5, 2010. It is also known to detect if a cell phone is in use in a vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 7,474,264 (“the '264 patent”) to Bolduc et al. discloses a system and method that detects the use of radio frequency (RF) transmit devices (e.g., cellular phones) in a vehicle.
The '264 patent further discloses that the system includes a first RF antenna for detecting signal strength of an RF signal transmit device at a first location in a vehicle and a power first detector for generating a first output signal indicative thereof. The system also includes a second antenna for detecting signal strength of the RF signals at a second location in the vehicle and a second power detector for generating a second output signal indicative thereof. The system further includes a signal processor for processing the first and second output signals to determine the presence of an RF transmit device in use in the vehicle and to further determine the location of the RF transmit device to determine if a driver is using the device.
Additional references that may be informative with respect to vehicle cell phone restriction include: U.S. Publication Nos. 2010/0148920 and 2011/0021234.